


the promise of more tomorrows

by FlyingFleshEater



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-02
Updated: 2015-02-03
Packaged: 2018-03-04 23:56:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3097301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlyingFleshEater/pseuds/FlyingFleshEater
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times Cassandra Pentaghast protects the Inquisitor and one time the Inquisitor protects her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DoomKitteh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoomKitteh/gifts).



Lavellan had not been paying attention.

Sera was in the lead, kicking small rocks along as she went and humming a song that Lavellan was sure had bawdy lyrics. She and Cassandra were several feet behind and Solas was bringing up the rear. Lavellan was admiring the stone formations, naturally occurring pillars of dark stone all tight together and forming a sort of shallow cave. It was beautiful and she had to tamp down and urge to climb all over it. They had a goal to reach and she knew that her companions would not look kindly on her stopping their forward motion just so she could climb over some rocks.

She ran her fingers over the smooth stone as they exited the short tunnel it had made and stepped, blinking, into the sun. Maybe on the way back they could stop for a break in the shade of the tunnel and she could get some climbing in. It wasn’t far from the nearest camp at all so she might even be able to sneak off that night.

Planning for her marvelous climbing adventure clouding her mind, Lavellan didn’t pay much attention to the rest of her surroundings. Like the very large open space ahead of them that was dotted with several grass fires.

“Dragon!” Sera’s shout startled Lavellan into looking up even as she shrank back instinctively. The dragon’s silhouette was quickly approaching from straight ahead. Sera had darted forward quickly, taking shelter behind a large bolder but there was no nearby cover for the others. Solas went left, loping to a stand of rocks near a shady pool of water.

“This way,” Cassandra called, taking off to their right even as she pulled her shield from her back.

Lavellan stood frozen for another few seconds, like a startled halla, before leaping after Cassandra with her eyes closed in fear. The roar of the dragon’s wings beating the air drowned out all other sound and Lavellan felt sure that she wasn’t going to get out of the way in time.

All of the air left Lavellan’s lungs as she was suddenly snatched by the arm and her feet left the ground. Her heart flew into her throat with fear, but then her feet hit the ground again and her hands smacked sharply on Cassandra’s breastplate, leaving her palms stinging. She gulped in a painful breath of air just as searing air washed over the pair of them. She looked over her shoulder and saw only smoldering earth where she had once stood. She had been saved from certain death.

Cassandra’s arm was tight around her waist, crushing Lavellan to her side. She was shaking and breathing heavily but Cassandra kept her tight hold. She crouched, bringing Lavellan with her, and raised her shield up over their heads just in time for another ball of fire to crash into it. Cassandra grunted with the effort of keeping them both upright, her eyes closed tightly as she grimaced. Lavellan’s gaze was fixed firmly on her face, glowing from the flow of fire over them, and she had the sudden epiphany that she never wanted to be anywhere else ever again, dragon breathing fire on them and all. She wanted to be closer, even, and wished that she wasn’t wearing armor.

Cassandra opened her eyes after several tense seconds and looked around her shield, Lavellan took the time to try and rearrange her expression so that she didn’t look love struck. “I don’t see it,” Cassandra muttered darkly, her handsome brow furrowed in concentration. Lavellan swooned a little.

“It’s coming around for another go!” Sera called out from further afield.

Cassandra turned her serious gaze back to Lavellan. “Are we fighting this battle?”

Lavellan’s eyes widened and she frantically shook her head. They were in no way prepared to fight a dragon and she was pretty sure that The Iron Bull would pout at her if they tried without him.

Cassandra huffed out a quiet laugh and looked back to the sky. “Here she comes.”

Lavellan squeaked and huddled closer to Cassandra, grabbing her around the waist. Cassandra brought her free hand up and held Lavellan’s head close to her chest so that one ear was pressed tight to the cool metal of her breastplate.

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.” Her voice held no teasing, and Lavellan had a sudden vision of Cassandra speaking those words just before claiming Lavellan’s mouth with her own. She shivered at the thought and held all the tighter to Cassandra.

Another blast of fire hit Cassandra’s shield and this time they nearly toppled over. “She ignored the others completely. I think she can see the reflection of my shield and that’s why she continues to target us.”

“We need to retreat,” Lavellan said quietly. Cassandra grunted in agreement. “We need to retreat,” Lavellan yelled this time so that Sera and Solas could hear her. She looked across the thirty feet that separated them from where Solas was tucked safely behind some large rocks and he waved to show he’d heard.

Sera’s response came with the sound of a smoke bomb as she tore past them up the path to the overhang with a mad cackle that had Lavellan grinning

“We’ll meet you at camp,” Lavellan called after her. She looked up at Cassandra and saw that she was making every effort not to smile as well.

“The dragon is making her turn. I’m going to go now.” Solas cast a barrier around himself and then darted from cover, trying to cover the open ground as quickly as possible. His long robes made it harder for him to run as swiftly as Sera had, but he made his best effort.

Overhead, the dragon shrieked out a violent roar that had all of them clutching for their ears. Solas stumbled but continued to run, until a fireball hit him square in the back and sent him sprawling.

“Solas!” Lavellan clasped her hands over her mouth in horror but sagged in relief with Solas struggled to his feet again. His barrier had done its job.

“I’m alright,” he called back to them.

“Get to cover before she comes back.”

Cassandra’s hand on her shoulder drew her attention back. “Now would be the best time for us to make a break for it. Stay close directly in front of me and we should be fine.”

Lavellan nodded and swallowed hard. Cassandra’s face was strong and calm and that helped her nerves more than anything else could have. “Hold on to the back of my armor so I don’t get too far ahead.”

Cassandra did as she was bid and strapped her shield to her back again. Lavellan looked out into the sky and saw that the dragon was making her slow circle back around, and she made a break for it. Lavellan was very fast but Cassandra’s weight slowed her a little. She focused on the path ahead of them, taking care to be sure footed, and listened carefully over the sound of Cassandra’s heavy bootfalls behind her.

The air shrieked as the dragon sliced through it, approaching again and readying another fire ball. They were only feet from the shelter of the rock tunnel when the ground shook and heat washed over her and she found herself airborne for the second time that day. She hit the ground hard and rolled. Cassandra no longer had a hold of her and she tried to scramble to her feet. Her vision was hazy from the pain of her landing and she was quite dizzy open standing up.

She was suddenly grabbed around the middle and, in her fright, fought the hold, assuming the dragon had snatched her up. She screamed shrilly as she was dragged suddenly to the left and then held tightly.

She stopped fighting quickly, realizing with relief that Cassandra had taken her and dragged them the last few feet to safety. They were now well into the tunnel and out of sight of the dragon.

“It’s alright,” Cassandra panted into her ear. “I’ve got you. You’re alright.”

She could vaguely feel Cassandra’s gauntleted hands running up and down her back in an attempt to comfort her. Lavellan shook like a leaf, sagging against Cassandra’s front. She pressed her head under Cassandra’s chin and took a few additional moments to breathe in the dark earthy sent of the other woman. “Thank you. I’m sorry. I got really scared. I’ve never seen a dragon before,” she said between deep breaths.

Cassandra relaxed and allowed her chin to rest more heavily on Lavellan’s head. “It’s alright. I was scared when I saw my first dragon too.”

Lavellan huffed unhappily. “I bet you didn’t completely freeze though.”

Cassandra laughed a little. “No, but I didn’t have friends watching out for me either.”

“A fair trade, I suppose.” Lavellan shrugged and finally pulled away.

Cassandra clucked her under the chin playfully, like one would a child, and Lavellan felt her heart drop a little. “Come, let’s get to camp before the others assume we’ve been eaten.”

Lavellan laughed despite her discouragement and held out her arm to link with Cassandra’s. Cassandra rolled her eyes at the pout Lavellan gave her when she didn’t immediately accept the invitation, but then sighed and took Lavellan’s arm. Lavellan grinned widely and Cassandra fought her own smile. They started trudging up the hill back to camp and didn’t let go until they got there.


	2. Chapter 2

Lavellan hit her knees outside Cassandra’s cell and was already working at the lock with shaking fingers before she remembered that she and Dorian had found a key on one of the guards they had killed earlier. She threw her picks away, only half listening to Cassandra and Dorian’s conversation above her, and pulled the key from her belt, shoving it in the lock with more force than necessary. She was having trouble making her hands work properly, but the sight of Cassandra was almost more than she could handle.

When Fiona had told them Sera, Cassandra, and Leliana were still there, being held prisoner, Lavellan had nearly broken into tears. Seeing Fiona unable to even lift her head had put a dreadful fear in Lavellan’s heart. A fear that would only be assuaged when she had her arms around Cassandra.

The lock clanged heavily as it opened and she shouted her triumph as she threw the door open, knocking herself back on her ass and nearly hitting Dorian with the door. She ignored his squawk of outrage as she lurched forward, not even making it to her feet before she had her arms around Cassandra’s waist.

Perhaps she was a silly child, becoming so attached to another person so quickly, but something in Cassandra drew Lavellan to her like a moth to flame. She would gladly accept any burns as her due, just for more time to bask in Cassandra’s radiance. And it was all worth it for the moments when Cassandra would, often with visible confusion, return the affections that Lavellan heaped upon her.

Cassandra hesitated a moment and then put both her hands on Lavellan’s shoulders and, instead of pushing her away, patted her awkwardly. Lavellan took what she could get.

“As sweet as this reunion is,” Dorian interrupted, perpetually amused, “we still need to find Sera and Leliana.”

Knowing he was correct and hating him for it, Lavellan released Cassandra and stood. “We’re going to fix this, I swear it.”

Cassandra nodded tiredly and then seemed to pull from some hidden well of strength as she stood at full height, proud and strong despite her pitiful state. “I’ll need a sword.”

They liberated a sword and shield from one of the dead guards and continued their search for the others.

~

It was horrible.

Every second was a torture, every word Cassandra spoke rang with the echoing hollowness, and every blow she struck against an enemy was also a blow to herself, the red lyrium making every move pain filled to the point that she could not always stifle her cries. Lavellan felt every cry as well. Her chest felt tight, compressed under the weight of this horror. She felt bile sitting sickly at the base of her throat, only sheer willpower keeping it down.

It was only made worse by the way Cassandra threw herself into conflict, more violent than ever, aching to throw off a year of disuse. She yells and taunts and throws her entire body, shield first, at their opponents, creating openings and viciously ending lives. It’s the same sort of dance that Lavellan has become used to but with an added edge of desperation.

They find their friends, Sera in equally terrible condition and Leliana even worse off. They fight and fight and fight until finally there is no more fighting to be done. Lavellen falls to her knees again, this time beside Dorian as he methodically goes through the dead Magister’s pockets looking for the amulet.

“Ah! Here it is. It looks to be the same one we made in Minrathous. Wonderful.” He threw it in the air and caught it again, beyond pleased. “Just give me an hour or two and I’ll have us back in the present, or that past. Whichever.”

“An hour! There’s no time! You must do it now. The Elder One is coming.” The sounds of an approaching hoard was drawing steadily closer outside the throne room and Lavellen’s heart picked up speed in anticipation.

“We’ll hold them off as long as we can,” Leliana assured them, but Lavellan would not be calmed.

She grabbed Cassandra’s hand in both of hers. Their eyes locked. Lavellan didn’t know what Cassandra could read in her gaze, fear and desperation certainly. But could she see just how much Lavellan cared for her? Cassandra’s normally dark eyes were lit from inside with red flame and Lavellan could see nothing but determination staring back at her. “You can’t do this!” she begged anyway. “There’s too many of them.”

“You’ll die!”

Cassandra smiled sadly. “We’re already dead. Better to go out in battle,” she placed her free hand heavily on Lavellan’s shoulder, “giving _you_ a chance, than to waste away.”

“What she said,” Sera agreed, bumping Lavellan with her hip. She grimaced even as she threw an arm around her waist.

“We have to go,” Leliana insisted. “You have as much time as I have arrows,” she directed at Dorian.

Sera pulled away and darted for the open door, cackling as she nocked an arrow.

Lavellan forced herself to release Cassandra and took a step back. It was the only way, she knew that, but it tore at her heart regardless.

Cassandra inexplicably brushed Lavellan’s cheek with her thumb, the rough leather of her gloves somehow a comfort, and then she too turned and strode way. The throne room doors slammed shut behind her.

It probably would have been fine if she had been able to keep her eyes off the door. But she had watched and listened entirely too intently and when the doors burst open the first thing she had seen was the tall screeching demon throw Cassandra’s lifeless body away as though it were trash. And then she had seen only red.

Lavellan was screaming. Her rage couldn’t escape any other way. Dorian was holding her tightly, preventing her from running from back through the portal. Her eyes were unmoving from where the demon had dropped Cassandra’s lifeless body and, incapable of any other reaction, she simply screamed. She was still screaming when they exited the portal back in the present. The first thing she saw was Alexius falling to his knees in front of her. She tore herself from Dorian’s grasp and, not even bothering to reach for her weapons, lunged at Alexius, striking him at the temple. And then at his chin. And then his opposite cheek. He raised his hands to protect his face. She pushed them away and bloodied his nose.

She felt hands at her back, at her shoulders, at her upper arms. She shrugged them away and continued to beat Alexius. Her throat hurt from screaming but she couldn’t stop. She couldn’t stop. She couldn’t-

Gauntleted hands took her firmly by the wrists and she was jerked backwards, her back hitting a breast plate, the rivets bruising her on impact. Her arms were then crossed in front of her and the hold was too strong, she could not escape no matter how she bucked and fought.

“Herald, control yourself,” Cassandra barked in her ear.

Her screams died but her vision remained red. She continued to buck and roll, trying to loosen Cassandra’s hold.

“She has gone mad!” Cassandra held her all the tighter for her fighting. “Or she has been possessed.”

“Nothing so sinister, I assure you,” Dorian interjected, jovial even in the face of Levellan’s fit. “People handle grief in different ways, Seeker. I prefer to drown my feelings in copious amounts of alcohol, and the Herald of Andraste sinks into seething blood rage.” He was suddenly in front of her, blocking out the sight of Alexius being propped up by his son. Dorian took her face between his hands and squeezed just hard enough to get her attention.

“Greif?” Cassandra echoed. Dorian ignored her, instead staring intently at Lavellan. She sagged in Cassandra’s arms and he let her go. “What have you done to her?”

“Nothing,” Lavellan interjected. Her voice was rough from yelling so long; she cleared her throat a few times. “I’m fine. I,” she paused, “apologize. I was momentarily overcome.” She shivered violently and stood up straight, no longer resting her weight on Cassandra. She looked over her shoulder, hesitant to see Cassandra’s face, almost afraid that the skeletal visage of the future would greet her. Instead she looked just as she always had, only more wary that usual.

Cassandra let her go with careful slowness, ready to grab her again at any sign of instability. Lavellan didn’t approach Alexius again, she turned to Leliana instead as she appeared from the shadows.

“Clap him in irons, or whatever it is you do. We’ve got a cell waiting for him back at Haven.”

As Leliana and her agents saw to Alexius, Levellan thought very favorably on Dorian’s suggestion of drowning her sorrows later. And if she couldn’t look at Cassandra until she’d erased the image of her dead body from her mind at the expense of her liver, well, she just hoped the woman didn’t take it the wrong way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> less cute this time, but the next one will be more fluffy


	3. Chapter 3

When Lavellan did not walk into their hastily made camp after five hours, Cassandra was the first volunteer to join Cullen’s troops in the search party. Solas was the second. Sera was a close third but was shot down right away when Cassandra pointed out that her twisted ankle would only slow them down.

“Prepare a tent for her,” Cassandra ordered when Sera finally finished cursing them for being right. “She’s sure to be quite cold when we bring her in.”

Sera agreed with a scowl and the search party set out into the bitter cold.

The search took less than an hour but it was one of the longest hours of her life.

“There!” Cullen cried out, pointing at the rise of the hill just ahead of them. Cassandra squinted against the wind and saw a dark lump against the pure white of the snow. It could be mistaken for a rock, if it weren’t for the bright glint of gold and the yellow of Lavellan’s hair. Cassandra hurried forward, no longer bothered by the way she sank through the snow as she ran to the unmoving form in the snow.

Lavellan was lying in a fetal position in the snow, the hand with the mark tucked in her opposite armpit in an attempt to keep it warm. Her face was gray and slack, eyes closed and full lips half open.

“She’s dead,” Cassandra said, horror coloring her tone. She felt the stirrings of both panic and grief. She had only known Lavellan for a few months, it was true, but those months had seen them together almost every day, laughing and fighting side by side. That was to say nothing of Lavellan’s endless flirting, which Cassandra had always pretended to ignore or barely tolerate while she relished the attention in secret. So to see her unmoving in the snow was a harsh slap to the face.

Solas came up beside her. “When it comes to the cold, no one is dead until they are warm and dead.” He knelt by Lavellan in the snow and shucked off one glove, pressing his fingers to the side of her neck in search of a pulse. He ignored Cassandra when she knelt beside him. After a moment he nodded. “She is alive, but only just. We need to get her out of the cold, and soon.”

Cassandra was quick to sit Lavellan up and with Cullen’s help she was soon in Cassandra’s arms.

Solas took his discarded glove and carefully slipped Lavellan’s bare left hand into it. “She needs it more than I,” he said at Cassandra’s questioning expression. He then took off his outer robe and helped tuck it around Lavellan, careful to cover her head from the harsh wind. “I’ve got magic to keep me warm.”

“Why can’t you simply use your magic to warm her like you do yourself?”

“In this state, if we warm her too quickly it could actually cause her to die. She has to be warmed gradually. Healing magic will not make her warm, I would have to use elemental magic and that would be too drastic a change.”

Cassandra wasn’t sure she completely understood, but she was a warrior, not a healer or a mage and she left the knowing up to Solas.

The march back to camp was tense and swift, silent outside of the howling wind. Cassandra kept her focus straight ahead of her, placing her feet in the imprints left by Cullen’s heavy boots. Under normal circumstances, she would ignore the discomfort of wet socks, but as it was a distraction from the disturbing grey tint of Lavellan’s lips (the only part of her that she could see under the cloak) she let the desire for dry feet dominate her thoughts. By the time they reached camp Cassandra and most of the others were shivering violently and her feet were prickling. The heat of the many camp fires had cleared the snow from the ground, turning it just muddy enough to suck at their boots as they slogged in.

Sera, Leliana, and Mother Giselle were waiting for them and directed them to a tent that had been set up close to the largest fire. Cassandra carried her in but continued to hold her at Solas’s direction.

“We need to warm some blankets.” He rounded on Sera as he leaned his staff against the tent wall. “Sera, see to that. Also put some large stones in the fire. Put them under the furs to warm them further.”

Sera opened her mouth to argue, Cassandra was sure, her dislike of Solas well known, but Solas pulled his cloak off of Lavellan, revealing her to the others. The sight of her friend seemed to have an effect. Sera’s mouth clicked shut and she scampered from the tent, presumably to do as Solas bid.

“You need to get that armor off of her,” the Mother Giselle ordered. “Do you know if she’s wounded?”

“She doesn’t appear to be,” Cassandra said.

“We might be able to get some warm broth in her if we’re careful. I’ll be right back.”

The others helped Cassandra shift Lavellan until her feet were on the ground and Cassandra was holding her up under the arms. While it was an uncomfortable position, especially considering that Lavellan was  limp and unresponsive, it was the easiest way to get her armor off quickly.

Once the leather and iron had been discarded they were faced with the task of somehow getting Lavellan’s chainmail off. They worked out a solution that had Solas pulling it as far up as it would go, Leliana reaching underneath the mail to hold Lavellan up, and Cassandra pulling it over her head as she was the tallest. Lavellan did not wear a gambeson under her armor, instead opting for a simple tunic and fitted trousers.

Sera and Mother Giselle came in and Solas turned away from Leliana’s further undressing of Lavellan to help Sera set up a warm bed. Mother Giselle took Solas’s place and they soon had Lavellan nude and wrapped tightly in one of the warm blankets. Cassandra scooped her up again and placed her on the pile of fire warmed blankets and furs, careful not to lay her directly on the hot rocks that lined the edges underneath. Mother Giselle knelt beside the bed quickly and brought the bowl of broth she had returned with to Lavellan’s lips. It required a little coaxing (Sera pinched Lavellan’s nose after two fumbled attempts by Mother Giselle to get Lavellan’s mouth open), but half of the broth ended up in the right place before a weak cough from Lavellan stopped them.

“That’s encouraging,” she told them. “She’s responding a little and she already doesn’t feel as chilled.”

“What else can be done?” Cassandra asked. She resisted the urge to grab her sword. It was a nervous gesture and a useless one; she didn’t want to show weakness in front of the others. She could admit to herself that she was scared for Lavellan and not only because she was necessary to their cause. Lavellan’s friendship meant a great deal to her, she would hate to lose it. Her heart hurt at the very thought, in a way that it had not for a long time.

“You will need to strip down as well,” Solas responded, interrupting Cassandra’s spiraling negativity and drawing her startled gaze, and despite his innocent tone Cassandra felt that he was looking for a reaction from her.

“What.” It was decidedly not a question.

Solas looked entirely too pleased with himself when he explained, “Body heat is the best we can do for her at the moment. Sera and I are too bony to be of much use, and I can’t imagine that Lavellan would be too pleased to wake up next to me naked at all, no matter the circumstance.” At this, Cassandra thought she could hear a trace of bitterness in his voice, but resolved to ignore it. “That leaves you.”

“He’s right,” Leliana agreed, not bothering to hide her smirk. “Though you should be able to keep your smalls on.”

For a moment, Cassandra envied Solas’s ability to control flames if he wished. She very much desired to set Leliana on fire, especially after Sera started giggling. Leliana knew very well that Cassandra didn’t wear smalls, and so did Sera and Solas due to an unfortunate slip of the tongue a week ago while they had been trudging back to Haven. (It wasn’t something she was shy about, but Leliana’s incessant teasing wasn’t easy to bear.)

“They are correct,” Mother Giselle interjected when Cassandra did not respond immediately. “Body heat would be helpful.”

Drawing herself up to her full height, Cassandra bit out, “fine,” and began to shuck her armor.

Solas retreated quickly with Mother Giselle following him out soon after. When Leliana and Sera made no moves to leave, even after Cassandra had fully removed her armor and gambeson and was left standing in just her undershirt and trousers, she stopped undressing and faced them with her hands on her hips.

“Do you mind?”

Leliana arched and eyebrow. “Not at all. Please continue.”

Sera covered her mouth with her hand but her giggles were still easily heard.

Cassandra pointed at the tent entrance, her eyes sharp as stone. Sera scampered out, grinning like a loon and still laughing, but Leliana was less easily ordered about.

“Don’t you want help getting tucked in?” Leliana didn’t bother to cover her smile.

“This is a serious matter, Leliana.”

Cassandra’s tone booked no argument. “I know, I know. I simply couldn’t resist. You make it so easy to tease. I’ll leave you to it then. Take good care of her, we have need of her yet.”

“Of course.”

While she was a devout Andrastrian, Cassandra wasn’t a fool or a child. She knew what the others had been implying with their snickers and glances. Even Solas had hinted at it, something that made Cassandra shiver with mild disgust. Somehow, that assumption coming from a man was even worse than from her fellow women.

There was nothing sexual about the situation at all, and it was that assumption from the others that made her uncomfortable, not the thought of holding Lavellan close while nude. Their attitude was baffling to her but it was also a hindrance. The realization of it had caused her to doubt her own motives.

With a disgusted grunt at the thought, she finished stripping and folded her clothes neatly, still stalling. Unfortunately, it wasn’t exactly comfortable to stand around naked in the Frostbacks, even inside a tent with a fire roaring just outside.

Lavellan had been set up on the side of the tent closest to the fire outside, and only the very top of her head was visible under the pile of blankets and furs she had been swaddled in.

She slipped under the blankets as quickly as possible in an attempt to keep any of the warmth from dissipating. The rocks had held the heat of the fire well but when her skin first came into contact with Lavellan she flinched. Lavellan was still too cold to even shiver. Cassandra pulled Lavellan in close, until their bodies were pressed tightly together, and wrapped her arms around Lavellan’s back. Lavellan’s head ended up under Cassandra’s chin, her steady breaths warming Cassandra’s neck and making her heart speed up. She forced herself to relax and close her eyes. In an effort to fall asleep, she thought about her favorite romance series and pictured the characters in her mind. She imagined how their story would eventually continue, how she would have it continue if she was writing it.

Cassandra dozed occasionally, too scared for Lavellan’s life to fall asleep fully. She woke every time Lavellan breathed differently or twitched against her and when her eyes would find Lavellan’s slack expression her chest would ache. She’d always been warm natured as well and found it difficult to be comfortable under so many heavy blankets. Lavellan, as a contrast, was cold natured, or at least it seemed as such as long as Cassandra had known her. She became chilled at the slightest strong breeze and huddled close to the campfire at night. Thinking on it, Cassandra was actually surprised that Lavellan had made it so far in the bitter cold. Her strength was inspiring.

She had just fallen back into a fitful doze, sometime in the early morning hours, when she was woken abruptly again.

“Cass.” It was more of a hiss than a spoken word, but it roused Cassandra as quickly as if it had been a gong ringing. Her eyes snapped open and she was meet with the reassuring sight of Lavellan’s open eyes. She pulled Lavellan closer in reflex, uncaring for their nakedness in the wake of her relief. Surely it was indicative that Lavellan would be fine? Cassandra wasn’t sure, but she was too stunned and still muddled from her nap to call for Mother Giselle right away.

Lavellan’s eyes, half-lidded and dark blue in the low light of the tent, were fixed on her face. Cassandra flinched when one small hand drifted up from where it had been curled between them and warm fingers gently brushed the edge of her jaw. Lavellan hummed, the sound seeming to reverberate in her chest, before her eyes slipped closed again and her muscles went slack. Her hand slid down to Cassandra’s neck and rested there. Cassandra could feel her blood thrumming under the pressure and had to take several deep breaths before she could calm her racing heart.

_This elf is going to be the death of me._

She pressed a gentle kiss, barely a ghost of pressure, on Lavellan’s tattooed forehead and lay back, slipping back into an easier sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More "saving" than "protecting" this time. Next time will be more cutesy than these last two. No more serious business for this fic. Just happy fluffyness.

**Author's Note:**

> I had a sudden vision very early this morning of Cassandra snatching Lavellan out of the way of dragon fire and thus you see this before you.


End file.
